The BDC in 2017As we take stock of what we have achieved in our first five years, it appears to me that we are working in an incredibly exciting field at a crucial time in its development.

From our discussions with established bio-businesses and those just discovering the sector, we have yet to talk to someone who isn’t inspired by the tremendous opportunities biorefining (and the bioeconomy) can deliver – supporting the famed triple bottom line by providing economic, environmental and societal benefits.

From our early days, we have recognised the value of strong collaborations to bring fledgling ideas to commercialisation. I am proud that the BDC has become a place where biologists, chemists and people with novel ideas join forces and pool their intellects, in the pursuit of a common desire to find greener approaches to economic growth.

I believe we have achieved the vision set out for us by Vince Cable at our official opening – that of becoming a centre of “national significance and unique capability”. In this special anniversary progress report, we reflect on our first five years, as we contemplate what the next five will bring.

Joe Ross, Director, Biorenewables Development Centre

October 2011

BDCestablished with

£10Mfunding

July 2012

Vince Cableofficially opens

centre

March 2014 March 2014

20thmember

of staff joins

July 2014

BDC winsUKSPA Awardfor InnovationPartnerships

April 2014

BDC's

AD labscommissioned

November 2014

BDC receives

£2M ERDF funding to expand facilities

February 2015

BDC Featuresin Channel 4's

Food Unwrappedseries

October 2015

BDC movesmajority of its

operationsto Dunnington

April 2016

BDC joinsWRAP's

CourtauldCommitment

AAAugust 2016

BDC makesfront cover

of BigIssue North

January 2017

BDC article published in

BioFPR

April 2017

BDC and AquaEnviro

establish joint service

Late 2017

BDC consolidates operation in Dunnington

October 2016

BDC helpsfound

BioPilotsUKalliance

September 2015

1st client prototypebuilt at the BDC

(Wilson Bio-Chemical)

March 2014

1st new business

attracted to York (Circa Sustainable

Chemicals)

BDC helpsfound

BioValecluster

JJanuary 2013

Osbaldwickpre-processing

site opens

March 2013

10thmember

of staff joins

June 2013

Shortlistedfor Business

Desk Awards

December 2013

BDC launches

£1M Capital Grants

programme

October 2016

BDC receives

£1M LGF funding

from YNYER LEP

221

Our work in the bioeconomy

We turn plants and wastes into products, driven by the knowledge that we need to find alternatives to petrochemicals – which are currently used to make so many of the products we

use daily and take for granted – because these resources will eventually run dry.

We work at the interface between academia and industry to develop, scale-up and help commercialise bio-based products and processes, using a biorefining approach. This means

understanding each starting material and developing ways of extracting as many useful products from one material as possible and leaving nothing as waste.

We believe that a multidisciplinary approach to biorefining will be key to biorenewable materials replacing their fossil counterparts, and have put together the team and facilities to

help partners all along bio-based supply chains.

casestudy

SECTOR

BIO-ENERGY

3

Working with the BDC and their colleagues at the

University of York has opened up new opportunities to support

further innovation with our biomass.

Drax

Drax Group operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs. It converted half of the power station to run on sustainable compressed wood pellets (biomass) from coal, and now 68 percent of the electricity it produces is renewable - enough to power four million households.

In an effort to make the most efficient use of the wood pellets it uses, Drax is working with us and our colleagues at the University of York to explore how to get added value from its biomass before it is used for energy production.

Our collaboration is helping to establish the options for Drax to become an even more innovative renewable power generator.

Innovation in practiceTo date, we have delivered over 450 projects for almost 300 different clients – growing plants, assessing wastes, making pellets, distilling scents, producing slurries and testing products to name but a few. The following pages illustrate some of the support that we offer: from providing market insights, new contacts and funding proposals; through to sophisticated research, development and demonstration projects.

Getting added value from wood pellets

Company: Drax Group PLC

Established in: 2005

Location: Selby, UK

Activity: Electricity generation and energy supply

Funding: BBSRC, Commercial

BIO-ENERGY

CASESTUDY

4

Working with the BDC has given us access to process

technologies that have the potential to increase our efficiency 14-fold: this innovation could help us grow from 6 to 144 tons per day.

Brocklesby

5

PROJECT

150PROJECT

200PROJECT

300

PROJECT

250

gt

PROJECT

100

PROJECT

350

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017Fund

ing

Sour

ce:

Econ

omic

Dev

elop

men

tG

rant

sCo

mm

erci

al

PROJECT

1PROJECT

50

SylatechAssociated Waste management

Nature's Laboratory

Biolubeconsortium

Drax GSK

Porous4App consortium

Quorn

Brass Castle Brewery

Ricardo Energy and Environment

Heck Food

Syngenta Foundation

University of York, BioVale

Wilson Bio-chemical

Croda

Supporting the development

of a new microwave processor

Reviewing processing

options for higher value use of organic fines

Delivering a technology

transfer programme to grow the UK

bioeconomy

Testing properties of

an oral gel made from bee propolis

Establishing the commercial

feasibility of a new crop

Finding new uses

for production by-products

Adding value to brewer's spent grain

Mapping Scottish bioresources for

Zero Waste Scotland

Determining pre-treatment

options for natural sausage casings

Assessing biorefining

options, incl. integrated biofuel

production

Making pharmaceuticals from food waste

Turning potato starch

into batteries for electric vehicles

Genotyping an oil seed crop

Usingnovel processes

to develop insect repellents

Pre-treating biomass

for anaerobic digestion

Green Gain

Exploring uses for food

production waste for WRAP's Courtauld signatories

Burton Agnes Renewables

Exploring pre-treatment

options for using straw

in AD

University of York, BioVale

Offering 120 pre-funded projects for

Yorkshire SMEs

Converting household waste into high-value chemicals and

bioenergy

Turning food waste into

personal care products

Citrefine InternationalBiotech Services

The last five years in projects

Unilever

Finding uses for waste ice cream

HydroBlox

Plant growth trials using

recycled plastic, porous planks

Croda

PROJECT

400

Conducting separation trials for

surfactants

Working with the biologists at the BDC has given us the data

and confidence to push our product to the next level and has taken us a step closer to

commercialisation.

Bioelements

Lucid Insight

Assessing valorisation options

for dairy waste

GenialG consortium

Biorefining seaweed for uses such as

bioplastics and cosmetics

PROJECT

450

Extracting oils from lemon

myrtle leaves

Lemon Myrtle

Developing apilot plant

for potato proteinextraction

Branston

Sector: Bioeconomy Bioenergy Chemicals Food and Drink Waste Management Agri-/Horticulture

6 7 8

Leitat, a renowned R&D centre, is leading a consortium of eight partners from across the EU on a four-year project to scale up a process for converting renewable resources (potato starch, alginic acid and fruit pectin) into a building block for energy storage and chemical catalysis.

Together, the consortium will be trialling different methods for converting these feedstocks into a porous carbon, including using a patented process developed in York.

In the first year, the parameters and requirements for the end materials were agreed. Now, the BDC team is scaling up the process from a lab-scale of 100g to a pilot line capable of producing up to 20kg per day of the material. This will provide enough sample material for industrial testing, with the aim of adapting the material for different uses, such as batteries for electric vehicles and green catalysts for the chemicals industry.

If successful, the consortium will not only have produced a high-added-value material at a lower cost for various uses, but will also have established a pilot-scale production plant, based at our site in York, UK.

Fundamentally, this project is about

replacing a fossil resource, with a more

sustainable, biorenewable alternative.

Leitat

Company: Leitat

Established in: 1906

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Activity: Adding technological value to products and processes

Funding: EU H2020 programme

Turning potato starch into batteries for electric vehicles

CHEMICALS

CASESTUDY

99

WRAP is a UK charity accelerating the move to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy. As part of their work, they have established the Courtauld Commitment 2025: a voluntary agreement to work along the entire food chain to reduce the environmental impact of food and drink, from farm to fork.

To meet Courtauld's ambitious goal of reducing the resources needed to provide food and drink by one-fifth by 2025, WRAP was looking for experts to help a group of signatories make use of the unavoidable waste streams from their food production processes.

Collaborating with consultants from Green Gain and Lucid Insight, we have been assessing commercial opportunities for using wastes from bread, cider and cheese production as well as vegetable packing. Working together we have been able to assess the volumes of each waste stream and feasible options for converting these wastes into resources.

Now, the producers are evaluating the results, discussing how they can make use of the valorisation options within their sectors and applying the learnings to their business.

The BDC and their partners have done

a remarkable job finding practical, commercially viable uses for materials that would

otherwise go to waste.

WRAP

Company: WRAP

Established in: 2000

Location: Banbury, UK

Activity: Delivery of practical solutions to improve resource efficiency

Funding: Commercial

Making use of wastes from food and drink production

FOOD&DRINK

CASESTUDY

10

GSK is a top 10 pharmaceutical company operating in over 150 countries worldwide. They encourage sustainability initiatives delivering both economic and environmental benefits and foster diverse collaborations to develop innovative new processes.

One of the key ingredients used at the Irvine site is food-grade glucose which has highly volatile pricing. Three years ago, GSK embarked on a search for a more sustainable supply – and recognised the BDC as their partner of choice for this endeavour.

Together, we identified potential new sources of glucose from food manufacturing, using starchy by-products such as bread heels and potato waste as a starting material. Following successful trials at the BDC, we are now exploring significant opportunities to scale this process up to commercial-level. To make the most out of the starting material, including the protein-rich residue, the BDC has also brought additional partners into the project.

This is a highly strategic project for GSK that is building a more sustainable and economically beneficial supply chain using a biorefinery approach; and that could ultimately result in turning food by-products into high-value products.

We are really impressed with the

ideas and support available at the BDC and believe they

are uniquely equipped to help companies looking to enter the

emerging biorefining sector.

GSK

Company: GSK

Established in: 1715

Location: Irvine, UK

Activity: Science-led global healthcare

Funding: Commercial, IBioIC and Scottish Enterprise

Making pharmaceuticals from food wasteCHEMICALS

CASESTUDY

1111

HydroBlox Ltd. operate in the building and drainage sector, manufacturing innovative, porous planks made from recycled plastics that can be used to guide water, stabilise banks and provide durable replacement road surfaces.

The company want to expand their product range for the horticulture sector, by using their material as a plant growth substrate in hydroponic systems. To do this, they asked us to provide scientific data to establish whether it would be suitable for this use.

Initially, we compared seed germination and seedling growth in the HydroBlox material to standard foam supports used in hydroponics. Then we ran a series of tests to ensure the planks could be effectively cleaned to avoid microbial contamination; and that they would not leach heavy metals into the water.

Our research revealed that the product is indeed well-suited for growing plants, providing effective support, without risk of contamination. Confident in this knowledge, HydroBlox Ltd. are now preparing to launch their product into the horticulture market and grow their business.

The BDC’s work has been crucial for us to move into a new market, and best of all: it was fully funded through

their ERDF programme!

HydroBlox

Company: HydroBlox Ltd.

Established in: 2016

Location: Harrogate, UK

Activity: Manufacturing of green drainage, infrastructure and filtration solutions

Funding: ERDF

Using recycled plastic ‘planks’ to grow plants through hydroponics

AGRI- HORTI-

CULTURE

CASESTUDY

1212

October 2014

Green Party Leader,

Natalie Bennett, visits BDC

February 2015

BIS Secretaryof State,

Greg Clarkvisits BDC

July 2016

June 2017

August 2016

BDC features in BBSRC and

BIS report Evidencing the

Bioeconomy

LabourParty Leader,

Jeremy Corbyn visits BDC

UK Government's Chief Scientific

Adviser, Sir Mark Walport

visits BDC

Barry Dodd, YNYER LEP

Chairman opens client’s pilot-scale facility at BDC site

BDC featuresin KTN report

From Shale Gas to Biomass

September 2016 September 2016

BDC supportsUniversity of Yorkled Bioeconomy

Science and Innovation Audit for UK Government

September 2017

Bioeconomy policy in the futureWhile the political landscape is forever shifting, we are excited to be witnessing a growing interest from policy makers in the bioeconomy, and the biorefining approach that underpins it.

Our local region prides itself on its bioeconomy capabilities and we are delighted this has been recognised in the government-commissioned Science and Innovation Audit that we helped develop, which is focused on “The Bioeconomy in the North of England".

We have been working closely with key organisations and government bodies to provide expert insights about biorefining and technology development to inform the forthcoming UK Bioeconomy Strategy, which we anticipate will bring this rapidly growing sector to the fore.

In the meantime, we are also working hard with our partners from the BioPilotsUK alliance and the NNFCC to support the UK’s new Industrial Strategy, providing the R&D scale-up capabilities to help grow our economy and enable the transition to a low carbon, sustainable future.

Organisations like the Biorenewables

Development Centre and their partners who are doing

pioneering work to turn waste into reusable products such as biofuels and chemicals will help make UK businesses more sustainable and

more competitive.

Sir Mark Walport, Chief Scientific Adviser

13 1413 14

As an Australian company with a unique

process to convert waste cellulose to high-value speciality

chemicals, we committed to establish a base in York, UK, to better

access both market opportunities and world-leading expertise in bio-

based research.

Circa Sustainable Chemicals

Professor Chris Groffrom Australia

joins BDC for a sixmonth sabbatical

What lies ahead?

Our vision is a world where the economy is a bioeconomy.

At the BDC we have ambitious plans to support the widespread use of biorenewables across the globe. A key part of this journey is helping our local economy through our ERDF-funded economic development programmes, but we have also been expanding our reach, working with innovative partners from around the world.

We believe that only with strong collaboration and knowledge sharing, will we be able to address some of the most pressing environmental and economic issues of our time. The bioeconomy will be a key contributor in this, using rapidly advancing technologies and making better use of renewable resources. This has the potential to feed our growing population; to turn waste into resources; and to break our dependency on petrochemicals.

We believe we have brought this future a little closer to reality over the last five years, and look forward to working on more exciting projects with forward-thinking partners in the next five years.

BDC sharesbest practice

with Australiancolleagues looking

to set up anAustralian biorefining

centre

BDC collaborateson project withGSK, Australia

BDC helpsAustralian

Gekko Systemsrefine theirAD process

BDC helpsAustralian company

Circa Group, establisha UK base

BDC joinsKTN delegation

exploringopportunitiesfrom waste in

India

BDC is part ofsuccessful H2020

Porous4App consortiumacross Europe (Spain,

UK, France, Austria,Italy, Switzerland,

Netherlands)

BDC collaborateson GenialG H2020

project with European partners (France, UK,

Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland)

BDC hostsIBNN delegation

from Norway

BDC deliversproject for Syngenta

Foundation, Switzerland

BDC is the local organiser for RRB11,

in York: attracting 250+ delegates from

over 30 countries and 9 fringe events

BDC attendsWorld BIOin Canada

BDC helps Americanbusiness Agri-King

with their ADoptimisation product

BDC supportsSteviaOne

from Peru withtheir waste streams

BDC signsMemorandum ofUnderstanding

with CTBE, Brazil